The kids will return to the classroom in just a few weeks. And what better way to start the school year by doing what you can to help your kids set back-to-school goals, especially if they have back-to-school anxiety? Setting back-to-school goals can be a great way for kids to start the school year with purpose and motivation. Here are some steps and ideas to help kids set effective goals:
Reflect on the Past Year
Look back at the previous school years and determine where your child was successful and where they have challenges to overcome. You can look at what went well and celebrate those achievements. But don’t forget to reflect on the struggles that your child had. What can you do to identify areas for improvement so that these same challenges are easier to overcome this year?
Identify Areas for Growth
Always identify areas which your child can grow. Growth allows your child to gain wisdom and mature as an individual. Here are some areas that your child can focus on growing up.
- Academic Goals: They can always work on improving their grades, completing homework on time, or excelling in a specific subject.
- Social Goals: Let’s make some new friends this school year, your child can join a club, or even work on their communication skills.
- Personal Development: Work on building better study habits, managing time more effectively, or developing a new skill or hobby.
Set SMART Goals
What are SMART goals? They are a popular goal-setting framework that helps ensure goals are clear, attainable, and meaningful goals. Goals are measurable and there is a time frame for completing each goal. Use the smart goals to set up goals for your child this school year.
- Specific: Clearly define what you want to achieve.
- Measurable: Determine how you will track progress.
- Achievable: Set realistic goals that can be accomplished.
- Relevant: Ensure the goal aligns with personal interests and needs.
- Time-bound: Set a deadline for achieving the goal.
Create an Action Plan
Draft an action plan. The plan doesn’t have to be set in stone but rather you can make it adaptable as needed. The goal of the plan is to help your child learn how to set up and achieve goals. They will be doing this as an adult and the earlier they learn it the better skill set they will acquire over the years.
- Steps: Break the goals into smaller, manageable tasks.
- Resources: Identify any tools or resources needed.
- Support: Determine who can help (e.g., teachers, family, friends).
Track Progress and Adjust
Find a way to measurably track your child progress and make adjustments as needed. Do what works best for you and your child. Again, the goals can be modified and changed as needed.
- Regular Check-ins: Set aside time to review progress.
- Celebrate Milestones: Acknowledge achievements and adjust goals as needed.
- Flexibility: Be open to changing goals if circumstances or interests shift.
Encourage Positive Mindset
Teaching kids a growth mindset is a valuable skill that can help them develop resilience, perseverance, and a positive attitude toward learning. Check out our post on how to teach kids growth mindset. You want your child to continually mature and grow as an individual.
- Growth Mindset: Emphasize effort and learning rather than just outcomes.
- Resilience: Teach that setbacks are part of the learning process.
Example Goals
Here are some excellent example of goals that you can use to help your kids set back-to-school goals.
- Academic: “I will improve my math grade from a B to an A by practicing extra problems each week and attending tutoring sessions.”
- Social: “I will join the school’s debate team and attend all meetings to improve my public speaking skills and make new friends.”
- Personal Development: “I will read one book per month to enhance my reading skills and discover new interests.”
Tips for Parents
As a parent, it is important to be there for your child and to help them be successful. Even if your child isn’t meeting their goals, here are some ways to help them get back on track.
- Support: Be involved in the goal-setting process and provide encouragement.
- Modeling: Demonstrate goal-setting and problem-solving in your own life.
- Celebrate Efforts: Praise effort and persistence, not just results.
By setting clear, actionable goals, kids can feel more motivated and prepared for the school year ahead. With the school year, creeping up on us. Help your kids set back-to-school goals and help them have a great year.
I need to do these with my kids. They are older, but goals are always important.
Getting back to school after the school break can be a little difficult. That is why, setting up goals for this school year is so important for both the kids and the parents.
Such a great post! Heading back to school after summer break for some kids can be a challenge. I remember back in the day we would start preparing our children a month in advance so they would be mentally and psychically prepared for heading back to school
Words of encouragement is what the kids need to keep them being excited to go to school. That’s why we, people who know their struggles need to support them forever.
It is always good to set goals and have things to strive for. I should even be setting my own goals for the work year. It could be something adults can do alongside their children’s back to school goals.
Thank you for sharing these tips with us. It is so important to set goals along with supporting your children with their goals, so that they will have a successful school year.
someone said once that writing something down was still only a wish. Taking those actionable steps is what turned it into a goal. I like that you have an actionable step at the forefront.
while my kids are older, still a useful set of tips here to have them set back to school goals before they start their years of college (my son will be a senior at college while my daughter will be a freshman)